Montblanc Patron of Art Homage to Ludwig II Limited Edition

Montblanc has honored people for over 27 years with its Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award supporting the work of young and emerging artists. In 2018, the award goes to 17 art patrons from all over the world. The first award this year was presented in the Munich Residenz, the former residence of the Bavarian kings.

The award went to Jürgen Wesseler, who has been running a small showroom in Bremerhaven for over 50 years – in addition to his actual job as a surveying engineer. Every day after work he went to his „Cabinet for Contemporary Art“ planning new, groundbreaking exhibitions. At that time he discovered still unknown artists like Gerhard Richter, Blinky Palermo or Sigmar Polke and gave them an early platform. Later they have become world stars.

At the same time as the award, Montblanc traditionally introduces a limited edition writing utensil inspired by a historical patron of the arts. In the latest Montblanc Patron of Art Edition this is King Ludwig II of Bavaria. He promoted music and theatre and supported in particular Richard Wagner in the creation of his greatest works such as Parsifal, the Master-Singers of Nuremberg and Tristan and Isolde. Today he is known for his world-famous castles such as Neuschwanstein, Linderhof or Herrenchiemsee and Germans call him the “Swan King”.

This swan was the focal point for the design of the Patron of Art Homage to Ludwig II Limited Edition 4810. The pattern of the cap reminds of white feathers, the clip is in the shape of a long curved neck and head of a swan. The top of the cap represents the Bavarian royal crown. The writing utensil itself is from the blue of the pillars of the throne room of Neuschwanstein. Striking is the lettering engraved on the ring „WWV 75“. This signifies Lohegrin in Wagner’s work directiory – the opera which prompted young Ludwig to his patronage. The pen is decorated with the engraving of the fairy tale castle Neuschwanstein.

So, could there have been a better place for the award than the residence of the Bavarian kings? After a short tour of the treasury, where we could also see the Bavarian royal crown, and the cocktail reception with a Bavarian brass band we had our names written by the French calligrapher Nicolas Ouchenir with the new writing utensil. The dinner with the favorite dishes of King Ludwig II (beef cheek and beef fillet with asparagus) was held under the large glass roof of the Comité Hof. In the just setting sun, this was a very special atmosphere.

Then the short official part took place. Jürgen Wesseler could not accept the award himself, but was represented by his son. In addition to the limited writing utensil, he also received prize money to support a cultural project.